A new building is underway at West 21st Street and the West Side Highway. The existing buildings on site have recently been demolished and excavation is underway. The building has received DOB approval and will likely be going vertical by the end of the year.

The above photo, submitted by Terri Mills, shows foundation work has begun on 551 West 21st Street, which will rise 20 floors. The project’s architect is Norman Foster, and the developer is Scott Resnick – while the tower will be semi-removed from The High Line, it is one of several starchitect buildings underway in the vicinity.
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Penthouses will be sold for $35 million and up, and those prices are unheard of for the neighborhood – though Related’s project on 28th Street, designed by Zaha Hadid, could offer similar prices per square foot.

The development’s rise is concurrent with that of the Hudson Yards, which will put a significant premium on all of Chelsea, as the new workers will need places to live; while the mega-development will have a significant residential component, the spillover to Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen will still be notable, and the market for 551 West 21st is definitely there.

Completion of Foster’s latest New York City high-rise is expected in 2015.

551 West 21st Street, image from Terri Mills

551 West 21st Street, image from Terri Mills

__________________“If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought.” ― Isaac Newton

551 West 21st Street, West Chelsea's new storm-ready condo development, sports a design from starchitect Norman Foster. However, according to a tipster who sent us that rendering on the right and documents filed with the Department of Buildings, the architects carrying out his vision will be Beyer Blinder Belle. An e-architect article from November clarifies that Foster is the design architect for the project while Beyer Blinder Belle is the executive architect. The new rendering, which shows the whole building, doesn't seem like much (if any) of a departure from the original one, which showed a couple sets of windows, although it's difficult to really tell.

The building itself, according to DOB records, will be 20 stories tall with 44 units, including full-floor apartments on the upper three floors and a private roof deck. There will also be 16 half-floor apartments, which, our tipster informs us, will be three- and four-bedroom, with libraries. All bedrooms will have en suite baths, including the one-bedrooms on the lower levels, which will also have separate powder rooms. The building will also house an art gallery, the 303 Gallery, on the bottom two floors. Last we heard, the pricing was going to be between $5.75 million and $17.5 million for most of the units, with the penthouses costing upwards of $35 million. The building is expected to be completed in 2015.

__________________“If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought.” ― Isaac Newton

A few renderings and pricing have been revealed for the uppermost penthouse at the Norman Foster-designed 551 West 21st Street. True to the hype, one of the building's three extravagant penthouses will feature a 61-foot-long lap pool as part of its 4,000-square-feet of private outdoor space. The rather rare outdoor amenity is on a terrace overlooking the Hudson River, the Observer has learned. Prospective buyers may find the $50 million penthouse a relative bargain compared to the city's other penthouse-with-private-pool which will ask $100 million at 50 UN Plaza—also designed by Norman Foster.

The West Chelsea storm-proof building's three penthouses will be priced from $35 million, and will all be 6,200-square-foot floor-throughs. The penthouses will feature separate service entrances, dual-sided wood burning fireplaces, an abundance of top-of-the-line appliances, oak herringbone floors, 12-foot ceilings, and of course, loggias. The 19-story building will have 44 apartments in total, priced from $5.75 million. A spokesperson for the development told the Observer that the building, which went on the market on February 28, is nearing 50 percent sold.

__________________“If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought.” ― Isaac Newton